Blogs and Commentary

MCLA Division I Notebook

Does a 2-0 weekend really provide us much data? Especially when
it comes in January and against some relatively weak competition?
In the grand scheme of things, no, but it could point to a positive
trend for Louisiana State University.

Nick Joslyn, LSU's head coach who is currently getting his
Master's in analytics at the Baton Rouge institution, likes the
feedback he's getting.

"As coaches, we're never satisfied, but I thought we played well
this weekend," Joslyn said after the Tigers swept Rice and St.
Edward's to start the season. "We have some things to work on, but
we're excited about the possibilities of what we can do. We feel
like we can make the LSA playoffs and compete for the top of the
LSA. That is our season goal, and if all goes to plan, nothing
should derail that."

That shouldn't be a problem. LSU made the six-team LSA
tournament last year, and the Tigers have a deeper and more
experienced squad returning in '13. They still have to figure out
how to defeat the top teams in the league — most notably
Texas and Texas State — but last year gave a glimpse of the
possibilities. LSU lost to Texas State by a goal in the LSA
semifinals, only to see the Bobcats lose by two to Texas for the
auto-bid to Greenville.

Even with upward arc of the program, the Bayou Bengals were
tabbed seventh out of 13 teams in the conference's preseason
coaches poll — a fact that Joslyn thinks can work in LSU's
favor.

"People don't respect us. I think we are better than some teams
above us," he said. "I don't really mind flying under the radar and
teams underestimating us because of the talent we have this year.
The schemes that we're going to run are going to cause teams some
trouble."

Junior Mike Goodrich leads a talented, if unheralded bunch. A
do-it-all middie who also takes faceoffs, Goodrich already has four
goals on the season. The attack has been bolstered by the arrival
of Tom Brown, a Georgetown Prep product who has given the Tigers a
true quarterback (4g, 6a in two games) for the first time in years.
Sophomore attackman Saban Sellers returns as the team's leading
scorer after notching 24 markers in '12.

LSU will find out exactly where they stand in two weeks when
they participate in the All-State Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic. The
Tigers will play three games in three days, including a pair of
opponents who beat them last spring — Texas and
Mississippi.

Are the LSU players up for the challenge?

"We'll see," said Joslyn. "We'll talk to them at practice and
see where they are. We want to get them confident enough, but not
get their heads too big. We're excited. We have a lot of guys from
New Orleans so we should have a good crowd. We are feeling
confident going into the Texas game, but we have to be even-keeled
and ready to play."

It will be only after that weekend that we'll truly be able to
project expectations for LSU.

- Stanford's upset of UC Santa Barbara has undoubtedly caused
some nervous glances around Duluth, Minn. Without an AQ this
spring, Minnesota-Duluth is in the unenviable position of being an
at-large or bust team, so every upset means there's one more squad
to hurdle for one of the seven open slots. When the team comes from
a power conference like the WCLL, the angst is multiplied. The
Dawgs need to split on the weekend of Feb. 23 when Cal Poly and
Arizona State come to town in order to keep pace or they could be
in trouble.

- It lacked the magnitude of the Stanford upset, but Boston
College's 2-0 weekend in Miami was still noteworthy. For the second
straight year, the Eagles traveled to Florida and beat a ranked
Florida State team in overtime, this time 14-13, before dismissing
Miami, 21-3, on Sunday.

The result was surprising for both teams. BC's ability to
transition to a new coach without the luxury of a lot of field time
is a testament to both the players and new coach Kevin Orcutt. The
Eagles now get to work out the kinks left from this first trip for
three weeks before their swing through Texas. Florida State's
inability to defeat a solid team in its home state means that the
Seminoles are an AQ-or-bust program (compounded by a weak
schedule). It does simplify things, however, as the
'Noles have three months to figure out how to beat Virginia
Tech.

- Oregon head coach Phil Keebler said the Cameron Cole, the
former standout for Cal State Fullerton last spring, has enrolled
at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., and has been practicing
with the Ducks this spring. He is expected to enroll and play for
Oregon in 2014...the Mike Brand era is starting well at
Texas State. The Bobcats are 2-0 and avenged last year's loss to
Baylor with a 15-3 thumping in the opener. TxState should be 4-0
heading into its contest with SMU on Feb. 23...ugly times in
College Station. Texas A&M lost to North Texas — a
program that went 1-11 last year — in the season opener and
then followed that up with a loss to Division II Sam Houston State
the next day.

- Congrats to Andy Garrigan. The new Texas head coach guided the
Long Horns to a 23-5 win over La.-Lafayette in his first game on
the sideline. That's the most goals for UT since 2011...congrats to
new San Diego State head man Charlie Jackson, as well. Jackson
helped the Aztecs roll past Fullerton, 14-2. It may not seem like a
big deal beating a D-II squad, but this contest was a one-goal
affair in '12.